About
Background - Why Mixed Traffic
Underground mining is automating fast, but there's a catch: today's safety systems force a hard choice between people and machines. When an automated vehicle operates in an area, everyone else has to leave. When people need access, the automation shuts down. This rigid separation - known as robot cells - keeps people safe, but it kills productivity.
From Robot Cells to Dynamic Geofencing
Robot cells rely on stationary geofencing. The concept is simple and effective, but inflexible. Every time a human needs to enter an automated zone, the entire process stops. In practice, this means mines spend significant time waiting for areas to be cleared rather than producing.
Kiteshield replaces static boundaries with dynamic geofencing - a virtual protective shield that moves with each machine in real time. This allows humans and automated machines to share the same area with proven safety, enabling true mixed traffic operations.
How We Prove It
The core of Kiteshield is the floating vehicle concept. The UWB infrastructure measures the time-of-flight of radio signals to each tag, and all measurements are aggregated in the backend. From these, the system determines a proven localization volume - a bounded region where the tag must be. This volume is then expanded to account for machine dimensions, safe stopping distances, and other safety margins, forming a protective envelope around each entity.
When envelopes overlap or a threat is detected, the system sends a stop signal to the machine. This architecture means it is possible to formally prove that no automated machine can occupy the same space as a person. This isn't a statistical estimate or a best-effort prediction. It is a formal mathematical proof, grounded in the physics of the measurement.
Vision
Kiteshield aims to make mixed traffic the default - not the exception.
- Safe coexistence of automated machines, manned machines, and people as standard operations
- No more robot cells or rigid exclusion zones
- Seamless integration into existing production and automation systems
- A platform that extends beyond mining to any industry where automated and manual machines share space
Safety Goals
Kiteshield is designed to achieve the highest safety standards for mixed traffic environments:
Zero Collisions
Dynamic geofencing and real-time position verification ensure collisions between automated and manned machines never occur.
Safety Integrity Level 3 (SIL-3)
Targeting IEC 61508 and IEC 62061, aiming for high-level protection in mining environments.
Performance Level e (PL-e)
Targeting ISO 13849, the highest performance level for machinery safety.
Proven Localization
Speed-of-light based measurements ensure precise verification of personnel and equipment locations.
Financers
- Boliden - Major European mining and smelting company, committed to responsible and sustainable mining.
- LKAB - World-leading iron ore producer, pioneering the transition to fossil-free mining and advanced automation.
Partners
- NXP - Semiconductor partner
- Robotec - AI-powered simulation and digital twin technologies for robotics
- Ferrocene - Qualified Rust compiler for safety-critical systems (IEC 61508 SIL 4, ISO 26262 ASIL-D)
- Mobilaris - Mining domain knowledge and operational expertise
- Combitech - Expertise in systems engineering and functional safety